08.05.07 – By Geoffrey Ciani: Pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Junior retained his status as boxing’s top talent when he was awarded a split decision victory against Oscar De La Hoya. Despite conceding to numerous unfavorable terms in order to make this fight happen, Mayweather’s talent proved too great for the game De La Hoya. Now, in addition to retaining his status atop the pound-for-pound charts, Mayweather also has a career-defining victory against boxing’s “Golden Goose”.
The fight itself was fairly entertaining and perhaps even something that will make casual fans more apt to tune-in for the next big bout. I scored it 116-112 in favor of Mayweather, and frankly, was rather baffled that one of the judges inexplicably scored the bout for De La Hoya—Mayweather was the clear winner. How anyone could see Oscar as the victor is well beyond the realm of reason.
Unfortunately, rumors are already surfacing about a possible rematch. Even more disturbing, the money is right to make this a reality. Although the fight makes sense in terms of dollars, it doesn’t make much sense in terms of the current landscape. De La Hoya isn’t going to fare any better against Mayweather in a return bout. He already gave it everything he had and it just wasn’t enough. In the end, his stamina just isn’t there—he cannot remain competitive with Mayweather for a full twelve rounds.
What boxing needs now, more than ever, is a showdown between reigning pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Junior and former pound-for-pound king “Sugar” Shane Mosley.
Unlike De La Hoya, Mosley still has the stamina to keep up with Floyd for the full duration. Additionally, Mosley is both faster and stronger than De La Hoya. These advantages in themselves should make Mosley a more competitive foe for Floyd. Although Oscar is probably superior to Shane in terms of overall boxing skills, Mosley’s style is better suited for fighting Floyd.
For starters, Mosley is naturally more of an aggressor. To beat Mayweather, you have to take the fight to him. De La Hoya often looked uncomfortable and awkward playing the unfamiliar role of the aggressor. Oscar is more of a counter-puncher, whereas, Mosley thrives on applying pressure and taking the fight to his opponent. In fact, attacking head-on is the only way Mosley knows how to fight.
The main reason Mosley lost against Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright was because he paid the price for applying pressure. These two were too big and too strong for Mosley to face in an offensive mindset, and as a result, Mosley was at a loss. Although Mayweather surprisingly carried some nice pop in his 154 pound debut, there will be no need for Mosley to fear his power. Ergo, Mosley should be able to bull his way in against Mayweather without fear of being knocked out—something which was ill-advised against Forrest and Wright.
If Mosley can remain active and apply pressure against Floyd for the full twelve rounds, he stands a great chance at scoring the upset. Recent evidence suggests Mosley is up for the challenge, but at his age, he needs this fight to happen soon. Much of what happens will largely depend on forthcoming decisions from Oscar and Floyd, so for now, Mosley needs to patiently wait on-deck. While he’s waiting, it might not hurt if he tries selling this idea to Oscar.
Ever since the Cinco de Mayo showdown between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather was first announced, I always thought that a showdown between Mosley and Mayweather would be a better fight. Now that Mayweather actually has a victory over De La Hoya, this fight becomes all the more interesting.
Dare I say, the (hopefully) inevitable showdown between Shane and Floyd is the best fight out there. But will the powers that be make it happen?
This article also appears on East Side Boxing
To contact Ciani:
geoff@eatthemushroom.com
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